Kenneth Bautista – Executive Vice President
As hope of a vaccine and warmer weather are on the horizon, a bright future without the pandemic is becoming more of a reality. Unfortunately, this disaster has taken us all on a rollercoaster of emotions. It has been harder to connect with others while social distancing. My goal is to work together with the SA Senate and the social vice president to bring back the lively atmosphere of the school while remaining the safe in the midst of this pandemic. I plan to accomplish this by focusing on three things:
- Empowerment – As college students, most of us have a minor in being broke. Between Chick-fil-A and tuition, finding enough money to start a small business is tough. I want to create a program that supports budding entrepreneurs.
- Lift Off Program – The Lift Off Program is a fund specifically for students who want to start their own business. From a sticker brand to your own crochet company, this fund will give students money to get their business rolling. You do not need a large idea to make an impact. Some of the business examples I’ve thought of are flip thrifting, laundry service, embroidery design, T-Shirt printing, photography, baking or anything you can think of. The Lift Off Program will create an easy way to fund students’ ideas! My plan is to create a form for students to submit his or her business idea (whether big or small). Afterwards, the program will review it and give the student the cash to get his or her business off its feet!
- Awareness – One of my goals is to bring awareness to the Asian American Culture on campus. We all love Thai food and sushi, but what is the history behind them? What are the stories of immigrants from across the world? I want to bring awareness to the Asian Culture so that everyone can enjoy the richness of our heritage
Marie Rodriguez – Social Vice President
My name is Ari Rodriguez, and I am running for Student Association Social Vice President. Since my freshman year, I have witnessed and experienced what an impact strong student leaders can make. I have always wanted to do whatever I can to help people and when God gives you an opportunity and calling to help others, we should hang on to it. I feel that God has prepared me for a position of influence such as this ever since high school where I served my student body as class treasurer for two years as well as Student Association secretary and Student Association Vice President. Currently, I serve as a SA senator, the Latin American Club secretary and as a Student Mentor for the Biology Program. Through these opportunities of leadership, I have developed a knowledge and passion for planning and organizing events that I know will bring joy to those who attend. I believe that I am qualified to serve Southern’s students and campus. We are called by God to use our God-given abilities and talents to serve Him, and as Social Vice President, I believe I can use my skills to create an environment on Southern’s campus that fosters community within the student body and leaves you with a smile. I enjoy creating, planning and organizing events.
Some ideas I have for next year’s SA events are: A music festival with live concerts, a Week of Welcome for students returning to campus, a Lantern Festival, a chalk art competition on the Promenade and a Duck-Con (which would resemble comic con). I hope to work hand-in-hand with Southern students to cultivate activities enjoyed by all. Also, your opinions highly matter to me and I want to always do my best, and my part, to listen to your ideas and put your visions into reality — as best as SA can.
Student leadership is a constant journey of adapting and learning, however, I look forward to learning and adapting with you. Even though I am young and am still growing in leadership, I am putting my whole heart and all of my effort into each event that I am planning. With hard-work, determination, my experience and current skills, I know that I am fit for this position and I look forward to serving the Southern family as the social vice president to create an exciting and memorable year.